Back then, she must've really believed he loved her. That's why she tried so hard-being sweet, doing whatever he wanted, trying to please him like her life depended on it.

But ever since she showed up at that wedding, she'd gone cold on him. These past couple of days, her attitude had made him restless just thinking about her.

Ariella turned her face away, refusing to look at him. She hated how she once pretended to fall for him, how she'd lost herself in the act.

"Look at me! Say it-did you fall for me or not?" Lucian grabbed her face, forcing her eyes to meet his.

"You made me rush back just to ask some stupid question like that?" Her tone was clear and sharp, snapping herself out of the momentary daze.

Lucian ignored her icy vibe. He kept staring into her eyes, desperate for the answer he wanted.

"You did that whole handshake-with-Ryan thing in front of me... just to piss me off and make me jealous, didn't you?"

She wasn't even trying to hide it. It was her petty payback for the way he always kept women around him.

Ariella's eyes shifted slightly, then she chuckled under her breath.

"So, it worked. You got jealous."

"You..."

How had he never noticed how sharp her tongue was before? Every word felt like a slap in the face.

The calm he'd just regained was shattered again. He was ticked off. Angry.

He grabbed her chin again, voice low and cold between clenched teeth. "Keep dreaming."

"Oh, I'm dreaming? Then why'd you come running over here like a man on fire? Here to mark your territory or what?" She didn't care that his grip hurt-looked him right in the eye without a trace of fear.

Lucian was so mad he couldn't speak for a second. Then he let out a mocking laugh, tugging at his belt.

"Yeah, you got it. I'm here to sleep with you, plain and simple. You're already mine, don't you dare even think about crawling into my brother's bed."

The chill from his words cut deeper than she wanted to admit. She hated how she'd almost let herself believe in him, even for a second.

To him, she was nothing. Just some cheap thrill. Her nose stung, but she refused to cry in front of him again. She didn't argue back, just shut her eyes and braced for the worst.

All at once, she went quiet. That fierce, fiery attitude from a minute ago? Gone. Like a balloon with all the air let out.

Lucian caught the shine of tears at the corners of her eyes. She was holding them in-he could tell.

"What's with the sad face? You acting like sleeping with me isn't your job or something?" He wanted to say something softer, but it still came out cold as ever.

"Go ahead. I'm not stopping you," Ariella said, voice dull.

"You think playing the victim'll change my mind? Think I'll go easy on you? Who do you think you are?"

"You seriously think that? You've never once showed me the tiniest bit of softness. No matter if I was happy or falling apart, I never dared hope you'd care how I felt." Her voice finally cut through, pushed out by his cold indifference.

Her feelings? Lucian felt like someone just sucker-punched his chest-something heavy and dull pressing down on his heart.

He didn't argue back. He climbed out of bed, picked up his scattered clothes off the floor, and slowly started getting dressed.

He's actually leaving because of that one sentence? Ariella blinked in surprise, watching him pull up the zipper.

Guess that means... he does care about her. At least a little bit, right?

But then, a thought hit her hard-she honestly would've preferred if he didn't.

If he was just cold and heartless, it'd be easier to walk away. She couldn't afford to feel even a flicker of doubt. He was her friend's husband. She needed to kill any last shred of wishful thinking.

Just as Lucian moved to leave, her phone buzzed on the bed. A message.

"Is it Ryan?" he asked, alert like a switch had flipped. He lunged back to the bed and grabbed her phone before she could react.

"You have no right to go through my stuff!" she snapped.

"If it's got anything to do with my brother, then I have every right!"

She reached for it, but couldn't win the tug-of-war. He unlocked her screen fast. It wasn't from Ryan, though.

"Ariella, Ryan asked for your number-should I give it to him?" It was from Fiona.

"Give it back!" she rushed out, panicking that Dominic might've texted next and Lucian would see it.

"Just let me reply this one, then it's yours."

Lucian held firm, and she didn't even care that she was still half-naked-she wrestled his arm, trying to stop him.

Somehow, he stayed completely calm, one hand pinning her down, the other typing briskly.

As the message whooshed out, he smirked, lips curling just a bit in smug satisfaction.

"Here. Knock yourself out."

Ariella yanked her phone back, furious. She opened the sent message file.

"Tell Ryan I have a boyfriend. Ask him to stop bothering me-I'm not into it."

"You had no right to send that!" Her glare shot up at his towering frame, sheer anger in her voice.

"You really thought this would stop me and Ryan from seeing each other?"

"Say that again?" His guilt for overstepping briefly existed-until she said that. Her words instantly wiped it out.

His reaction was automatic. He grabbed her chin firmly, staring right into her like he was burning holes through her soul.

Try saying it again and see what happens. He wasn't bluffing-he was furious. And this time, the fury in his eyes was something she'd never seen before. It was terrifying.

Realizing she was actually afraid of him, Ariella gave herself a mental slap-she couldn't keep backing down like this, couldn't let him think she was weak.

Lifting her chin defiantly, she met those cold, savage eyes of his and spoke without flinching, "I've told you, my feelings are mine. I have every right to like him-and be with him."

"Damn it!" Lucian cursed under his breath, then without the slightest gentleness, threw her onto the bed and pinned her down.

He never should've gone soft. Should've shown her what it meant to push his limits.

"You still dare talk back?" His tone had shifted, no longer as icy, but the edge in it remained.

Ariella gasped for breath, weakly, then forced out a whisper, "You can't stop me like this."

That faint little sentence was enough to send Lucian's rage skyrocketing. His hand shot up, about to slap that stubborn look off her face-to make her finally understand what self-respect meant.

But the moment her eyes shut tightly in reflex, something in his chest seized-and he froze, hand mid-air.

Instead, he grabbed her chin roughly, squeezing until tears welled in her eyes.

"What is it you want from me? Don't ever say that again!"

"If you really don't want me with Ryan," she said carefully, voice shaking, "there's only one way-end our agreement early. As long as we're no longer 'tied,' I promise you'll never have to see me again."

So that was her plan. Lucian let out a cold chuckle, then leaned close, fixing his gaze on her shimmering eyes.

"Ariella, hear this-there are plenty of ways I can ruin things between you two. And if you think you can walk out of my life? Not a chance."

His tone was so firm, whatever little hope she'd held onto just collapsed.

But she wasn't ready to give up. Meeting his gaze, she asked, "You have Fiona, and you love her. Why can't you just let me go? You don't love me. You don't need me-not in your life, not in your bed. Can't we just end this peacefully?"

She was practically begging now, every word a dent in her pride.

"No."

"Why the hell not?"

"You really wanna know? Fine. I'll tell you. Because I-hate-you!"

He spat out every word like it burned his throat. And she could see it-raw, intense hatred in his eyes.

This wasn't some bluff. He meant every word.

But why? Did something happen when she lost her memory?

"Did I hurt you...?" Her voice was barely above a whisper, her eyes searching his cold, unreadable face.

Lucian let out a sharp snort and yanked his hand away.

He got out of bed, straightened his clothes, and walked out-leaving Ariella lying there in a daze, head full of unanswered questions.

She had to figure out why he hated her so much. Maybe if she understood, she could fix it. Maybe then he'd let her go.

She got out of bed and started looking around the room for any photos of Lucian. She wanted to bring one to Ryan and ask him about it.

She turned the place upside down. Nothing.

Okay then, next time he shows up, she needs to find a way to sneak a picture of him. Can't have another shouting match.

Still sore from what happened earlier and now exhausted from rummaging through everything, she slumped onto the floor, back against the closet.

"Could there be a photo in here?" she muttered, knowing full well the chance was next to nothing.

Still, she got up and opened the closet.

Wait, what's going on here?

Is this...a sleepwear store?

She stared, mouth slightly open, eyes sweeping from one end of the closet to the other.

Nope, she wasn't seeing things. The closet was packed with pajamas.

All sorts-silks, cottons, lace trims-in every color and style imaginable, all perfectly hung up.

Lucian always had a thing for outfits. This apartment even had a dedicated walk-in closet almost fifty square meters, strictly for his clothes, accessories, the works.

But this side? Not a single piece of his usual stuff. Just pajamas. And fancy ones too-brands she didn't even have to squint at to recognize. She knew the price tags by heart.

She opened the other side of the closet. All his usual things were crammed in there now. Looked more packed than before.

Money clearly wasn't the issue here. What she couldn't wrap her head around was why he had gone through all this trouble.

Was it just because she said last night that If he rips her pajama, she'll have to bug a new one? Sounds petty, but who knew with Lucian.

He wasn't the type to go out of his way to please women-not his style at all. Always big on privacy too, never let anyone into his place. Those pajamas? Probably bought them himself and dropped them off when she wasn't around.

It didn't make sense. If he hated her, why would he pull something this... intimate? Ariella could feel that awful tightness in her chest again, sour and heavy.

"Come on, Ariella. Fine, you're stuck with him physically. Happens. But don't let your head go there too."

No matter what he did, the fact was, he had other women in his arms. End of story.

Back in the bedroom, her phone was blaring some pop song. She closed the closet door, padded over barefoot, and picked up. Fiona. She swore under her breath for the hundredth time before answering.

"Fiona!"

"Ariella, why do you keep pushing Ryan away? He's not like what people say."

"I just... don't wanna get caught up with someone that high-profile."

"Silly girl, he's still a person, no matter the background. I can tell he really likes you. Give it a shot, won't hurt. Imagine-if you married into the Sterlings, we'd be under the same roof again every day, we could... mmm..."

The last word trailed off into a breathy, not-so-PG sound.

"What's going on?" Ariella asked, a little stunned.

"Ahh..." There it was again.

"I gotta go, talk later-ugh, stop it..." Fiona mumbled quickly before cutting the line, leaving the aftersound hanging awkwardly.

The final note of that moan still echoed in Ariella's ear. She wasn't some naïve little girl. She knew exactly what kind of sound that was.

Her hand, still holding the phone, suddenly stiffened.

Lucian seriously had no off switch, huh? Didn't he ever worry about overdoing it and wrecking his kidneys? Her stomach churned at the thought.

An hour later, Fiona called back, voice soft and relaxed, like a cat fresh off a nap.

"Sorry about before..." she said sheepishly.

"Fiona, are you... happy?" Ariella asked out of nowhere. Been biting her tongue on that one forever.

"Huh? Of course. He treats me so well-I feel really lucky."

The answer she should've wanted to hear. And yet, that one word-lucky-hit wrong. Like it covered everything. Body and soul.

"Then I'm glad. As long as you're happy, I'm good."

Ariella made up her mind right then: Fiona would never, ever know about Lucian's betrayal. She'd protect her from that truth, no matter what.

Even if the happiness was fake, as long as Fiona didn't look too hard... maybe it could still feel real.

"Why're you talking like some old lady?" Fiona teased gently.

"Just saying."

"Oh right, I'm heading off to the Aegean Sea with Lucian tomorrow for our honeymoon. Anything you want me to bring back?"

They were going on their honeymoon. How perfect. Ariella thought silently, maybe this trip would bring them even closer, maybe after a month, Lucian would finally let her go.

"Let me think about it. I'll text you if I come up with something, okay?" Fiona loved buying her gifts. If Ariella turned her down, she'd be all mopey about it.

"Okay, don't forget! Ryan-"

"Fiona, Ryan's really not my type. Can we stop trying to force it?"

"I've been so tied up with the wedding, barely got time to see you. Ariella, are you hiding something from me?"

Ariella flinched, instinctively pressing her hand to her chest, trying to calm the chaos surging within. No, Fiona couldn't know about her and Lucian. No way.

"Me? When have I ever kept secrets from you?" Her tone was steady now, cool even.

"You've been acting all over the place lately. It's got that 'someone's-in-love' vibe. Come on, spill it."

"If I really had fallen for someone, you'd be the first to know, wouldn't you?"

"True. We did promise we'd be besties for life-no lies, no secrets."

That sentence hit Ariella like a ton of bricks. Her breath caught, and she squeezed her eyes shut as if that could block out the guilt breaking her apart.

All she could say was, "Yeah."

'I'm sorry, Fiona. Not telling you isn't just about sparing your feelings. There's so much you don't know... and Lucian is just part of it.'

Two years ago, things went south fast for the Rios family. Fiona was studying abroad then, and Ariella had reached out to Mr. Ross. He turned his back on her, didn't lift a finger.

That was when she realized-people only cared when it served them. But she never blamed Fiona for it, which is why she never brought it up.

"Fiona, I need to head out now." There was nothing left in her, no strength for one more forced word.

"Alright then. Take care of yourself, okay? Don't make me worry." Fiona's voice was soft as always.

"Okay." Ariella held back her tears and ended the call.

'Fiona, I... I'm not worthy of the faith you place in me. If there's any justice in the universe, let me live with this loneliness as my punishment.'

She tossed her phone on the bed and nearly ran to the bathroom. Cold showers were a no-go for her-she always ended up sick. But tonight? Getting sick was exactly the point.

Lucian wasn't going to show up, not with his honeymoon starting in the morning. She'd spend the night trapped in pain, shivering alone in this apartment.

That was what she wanted. To burn, to ache, to suffer until the guilt swallowed her whole.